Does an icteric sclerae necessarily means you have hepatitis?
No. Icteric sclerae usually refers to the yellow eyes that accompany jaundice and there are a lot of reasons why jaundice can occur - admittedly many of these include liver dysfunction. Jaundice is the result of excess bilirubin in your system. Bilirubin is a substance that is derived from heme (a constituent of blood); when red blood cells break down bilirubin is released. Bilirubin is processed by the liver, released into your intestines and passed out in your stool (poo). Anything that causes a build up of bilirubin in your system can result in jaundice. This can be before it reaches the liver; eg. haemolytic anaemia where red blood cells are destroyed at an abnormal rate. It may occur in the liver; eg. hepatitis, cirrhosis or another disorder that prevents proper processing of bilirubin. Or finally it may be after the liver; eg. blockage of the bile ducts that transport bilirubin to the intestine (as a consequence you can鈥檛 get rid of it). These are only a few examples of dysfunctions that can result in jaundice, where your problem lies can only be determined by a trip to the doctor, who in turn can run a few tests (liver function test, full blood count, etc) and narrow down the options. In a nut-shell, it could be a lot of things, go to you local family practitioner and let him/her sort you out. |
